'Award of 3G license being finalised'

Federal Secretary, Ministry of Information & Technology and Telecom, Saeed Ahmed Khan on Friday said award of 3G license is being finalised. The 3G license will give a boost to foreign investment in Pakistan besides providing jobs to thousands of people, Saeed stated while addressing a contract signing ceremony between the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore and Huawei Technologies here.
According to the contract, Huawei Technologies will provide equipment worth $0.5 million to the university for setting up a datacom centre. The Secretary said the Ministry of Information Technology through its Universal Services Fund (USF) is providing telecom facility, taking optical fiber to far-flung areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. The ministry is also laying fiber all the way through to China and then to the central Europe which would be another gateway for Pakistan, he added.
He said the collaboration between the company and the university would bring the latest technology in the academic setting making it available for students from all over Pakistan. The contribution of Huawei to the telecom industry and now the enterprise market in Pakistan is of great importance.
The setting up of datacom centre and UET status of Authorised Learning Partner will further promote the technology transfer objective of this centre, he added. The ministry will support and encourage other universities and equipment vendors to initiate such ventures which would accelerate the provision of competitive and skilled students and professionals, to the IT & Telecom industry, he maintained.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Technology Officer Huawei Colin Hu said the new technologies for enterprise solutions are being introduced for the first time in Pakistan, which is expected to generate a major shift in enterprise networking solutions in Pakistan towards Huawei solutions.
The Center will generate certified engineers through this technology for the country and the region while the center would also become a living example of Pak-China friendship. Punjab Information Technology Board Chairman Javed Ghani appreciating the efforts for setting up of a state-of-the-art lab for the students said the Punjab government will also support such activities aimed at bringing latest equipment to Pakistan. Director HUTIC Dr Waqar Mahmood and UET Vice Chancellor Lieutenant General Muhammad Akram (Retd) also spoke on the occasion.